Fond Memories
by kravenclaw
Summary: Hermione hasn't seen Oliver for three years. When his picture appears in the Daily Prophet, Hermione remembers the time they shared together. Sequel to Love Never Dies. One shot.


Disclaimer-J.K. Rowling owns everything in this fic. I only own the plot.  
  


This is the sequel to Love Never Dies. I suggest you read it before you read LND because I'm not sure how much sense the story will make and how believable the characters interactions will be. Oh and I couldn't figure out how to get italics to show up, so I put *** to show what would have been italicized. I hope it's not too hard to understand.  
  


Fond Memories  
  


Hermione looked down at the picture in the Daily Prophet. The headline read, "Wood Named Keeper of the Year" and there was a picture of the keeper pulling off one of his spectacular saves, with a look of intense concentration on his face. She remembered watching him when he was on the Gryffindor quidditch team. She smiled as she thought that Oliver didn't look a day older than the last time she had seen him three years earlier. 

Oliver Wood and Hermione had once been close friends. They had seen each other the summer before Hermione's final year at Hogwarts at the Quidditch World Cup. Oliver was just starting to be a well known quidditch player and was taking a break from his busy schedule to watch the most important match of the season, while Hermione was visiting her friend, or rather almost boyfriend, Bulgaria's star seeker, Viktor Krum, who was playing in the Cup. They had never really been friends while at school together, but grew very close while at the Quidditch World Cup. Oliver lent a sympathetic ear when Hermione was having trouble figuring out exactly what she wanted out of her relationship with Viktor Krum, and was supportive when she decided to just remain friends with the famous seeker. They had only spent a few days together, but it was hard when they had to go back to there separate lives. They had only seen each other one other time since the Quidditch World Cup, although they wrote letters frequently the first year they were apart. Hermione hadn't heard from him in nearly a year, and it seemed that her time with Oliver would just be one of her fonder memories.

She still remembered the last few minutes they had spent together at the almost deserted campsite at the World Cup.

*******

"Okay, well then, I guess this is goodbye." Oliver said awkwardly.

"Goodbye," Hermione said and she set her luggage inside the door. Oliver started to turn to leave and Hermione stopped him and gave him a hug. "I'll miss you."

Oliver pulled her closer and said, "I'll miss you too."

"I don't even know why I feel this way. We haven't known each other for very long. I don't know why I've gotten so attached to you."

Oliver sighed and held her tightly, "I don't know either. It's very confusing, this thing that we have."

"I know. I just don't know what to do about it."

"Me neither," Oliver said as he pulled away from her to look at her face. They sat staring at each other for at least a minute before Oliver lowered his lips to touch hers. They weren't there for more than a few seconds and all the kiss was, was a light touch of his lips to hers, but Hermione had never had another like it. It wasn't like this when she kissed Viktor. She'd never felt the spark that she felt now.

When they finally pulled away from each other, Hermione opened the door and stepped inside. "I'll see you, Oliver."

"Yes, you will." Oliver replied with a huge smile on his face. "You better owl me soon."   
*******

She'd only seen him once since that day, but she still remembered the kiss that they'd shared. It made her smile to think of how innocent she was then, and how much she had thought of that kiss in the years since it had taken place. Hermione still thought of it as one of the most special moments in her life. It was the first time she had felt like an adult. That kiss was a rite-of-passage in her life, and she didn't think she'd ever forget it.

Hermione put the paper down and went to the closet and removed a small box that held her letters from him. She was an organized sole and had put all of his letters in an album in chronological order so they would be easy to find. She opened up the first page of the book and looked down at the letter.  
  
*******

Dear Hermione,

I just got your owl and was excited to see that you hadn't forgotten me already. I just got back from quidditch practice. We're playing the Wasps next week, so the coach is working us very hard. We practiced for four hours today, so my body's aching, and I am not planning on moving for the next hour or so. I guess you could say that today wasn't exactly a good day, although, I did have an excellent practice. Our team looks pretty good so far, the beaters are doing excellent bludger work and the chasers have some plays that are working very well for them. Our seeker could still use some improvement, it's her first year in the league, and she still makes rookie mistakes, but overall I think we look good. Although, my opinion doesn't seem to count for much. Coach says that we still aren't playing up to our potential and so he scheduled an extra practice for tomorrow at 6 a.m. I can't say that I blame him though. I did that to the Gryffindor team more than once when I was captain. I'm sure you remember Harry complaining about it. How is he by the way? I hope he and Ron are enjoying their break. Tell them I say hello.

Speaking of Harry, how is he feeling about being captain of the quidditch team. Tell him that if he needs any advice or if he would like to see some of the plays my quidditch team runs, he can owl me. 

You are going to be going back to Hogwarts next week, are you all ready to get back for your last year. Knowing you, I bet you're already studying for your NEWTS. I don't mean to lecture, but I think that you should take this week off from studying. You have all year to prepare for the exams, and taking a few days off won't lower your scores. Trust me, the first week back will be filled with more homework than you can imagine. I'm sure you'll love it. 

I hope that you are feeling better about Viktor. I hope you realize that you made the right decision and that you will eventually forgive yourself. Have you talked to him since the Quidditch World Cup? I hope he wrote you, because I know you well enough to know that him not writing you will only make you feel more guilty. Don't worry, Hermione. I promise you, everything will turn out fine.

Well, I can't really think of anything else I need to tell you. My life has been pretty monotonous lately. I've just been working and then going home and trying to relax. I have had very few parties to attend lately although I do have to go to one tonight. I have to go to a birthday party for one of the beaters on the team, so I suppose that might be mildly entertaining, or it might not be, you never know how these things will turn out. 

I hope that school goes well for you. Try to stay out of trouble, and don't study too much.

Sincerely,

Oliver Wood  
  
*******

Hermione remembered getting that letter. She was so excited that he had actually written her back. She hadn't expected him to. It had arrived on her first full day at Hogwarts, and Harry and Ron had looked at her questioningly when she said it was from Oliver.  
  
*******

"You say it's from Oliver Wood? The professional quidditch player that used to be Harry's captain?" Ron said. "What is it with you and quidditch players? First Krum and now Wood. Who's next Marcus Flint?"

"It's nothing really. I just talked to him a lot when I was at the Quidditch World Cup. He talked to me when I was having problems with Viktor."

"Well, at least that Bulgarian bloke is out of your life. I never liked him much. He was a bit grumpy if you ask me."

"But he was a good quidditch player," Harry commented.

"Aye, that he was. Never seen a Wronski Feint quite like his."

"He's not out of the picture Ron. We're just not dating. We're still friends."

"Have you talked to him since the Cup?" Harry asked.

"Well, not exactly. But he said that we'd still be friends."

"He was probably just trying to make you feel less guilty." Ron said. "Come to think of it. That wasn't such a bad thing for him to do."

"I'll be sure to tell him that you're starting to be fond of him," Hermione said sarcastically.

Harry laughed and said, "Now back to the topic of Oliver Wood. What did he have to say?"

"He asked how you both were, and I told them you were alright. We really talked about a lot of different things. Mostly we were just getting to know each other. We hardly ever talked while he was at Hogwarts."

"So why would he talk to you at the World Cup, if you hadn't been friends at Hogwarts?" Ron asked.

"I don't know. Maybe it was good to see a familiar face."

"A likely story," Ron said.

"Oh, shut up, Ron. He offered to get you and Harry tickets to see a match."

"Did he? Well, then, I guess he must not be so bad," Ron said. "Harry, when do you want to go to a match?"

Harry laughed and said, "Probably not until next summer."

"Well, that's not so far away now is it."

Harry and Hermione laughed at their friend, and after that it was normal for Hermione to get letters from Oliver.  
  
*******

Hermione flipped the page to read Oliver's next letter. It was dated three weeks after the first.  
  
*******

Dear Hermione,

I hope you are well. I've had a good week. We beat the Wasps in our last game, so our coach has lightened up slightly, and I haven't had many social functions to attend. I guess you could say I'm in good spirits today. I'm planning on treating myself to a concert tonight. The Weird Sisters and this new group called Merlin's Wand are playing tonight, and I'm in the mood to go out, so I figured I'd meet a couple of my friends from the quidditch team to watch them. 

So, how's school? Are you incredibly stressed over your upcoming NEWTS? I'm sure you are. How many hours a day have you been studying. If you say over five, I'm going to come over to that school and force you to take a break for a while. Maybe I should come anyway. Do you have a Hogsmeade weekend soon. I could meet you and Harry and Ron for a butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks. I haven't seen Harry for ages. He hasn't gotten into any trouble lately has he? I'm sure I would have read something if he had. 

I'm sorry to hear that you haven't talked to Viktor yet. I guess you just have to give it some more time. I suppose you could write to him, if you're really worried. But I wouldn't worry too much, he might just be busy, after all he is one of the most famous quidditch player in the world.

Well, it's almost time for me to go, so I guess I'll write back again soon. I hope to hear from you.

Sincerely,

Oliver Wood  
  
*******

Oliver did end up coming to visit her the next Hogsmeade weekend. She smiled as she thought of how much fun that day had been. That had been the last time she had ever seen him.  
  
*******

"So we were supposed to meet him here weren't we?" Ron asked excitedly.

"Yes, Ron." Hermione replied dryly. "Why are you so excited to see him anyway?"

"Well, it's not often you get to have lunch with a professional quidditch player."

Harry rolled his eyes and said,"You're acting as though you've never met him before."

"Well, he's different now. He's famous and he knows a bunch of famous people."

"So said the best friend of Harry Potter," Hermione laughed. "Get a grip, Ron. He's no different from the last time you saw him."

"Well, I suppose," Ron said mildly.

"Yeah, it'll be okay, Ron. I'm just glad to see the old captain again. Hopefully he doesn't try to get me to practice with him back at the Hogwarts quidditch pitch. One thing I don't miss is his grueling practices."

"Oh, don't lie, Harry. You know you miss waking up at six several times a week to be lectured by a neurotic quidditch captain in the locker room and then screamed at when you got out on the pitch." Hermione said.

"Oh forgive me, Herm. I had almost forgotten how pleasant those early morning practices were." Harry said sarcastically. "And to think that when I first met Wood I was excited about him being the quidditch captain."

The three friends laughed as they watched Harry's old quidditch mentor walk in. "What's so funny?" He asked them and they just continued to laugh.

Finally Hermione composed herself enough to say, "Oh, nothing Oliver. Harry was just reminiscing about the old days when you were quidditch captain."

"And that's funny?" Oliver said while raising an eyebrow.

"At the time, no." Harry replied. "But now, yes, it is pretty amusing."

Harry stood up and shook Oliver's hand and Ron quickly followed suit. Hermione gave him a quick hug before he sat himself down in the booth next to her. "So, how have you been?" Oliver asked the two boys.

"Pretty good considering we're in our seventh year and we've had more homework this year than the past six years combined." Ron said.

"Oh, so I guess you three haven't been getting into as much trouble as you used to."

Harry shot a quick look at Hermione before saying, "Well, not too much. But it's still early in the year. There's still plenty of time left."

Oliver laughed and said, "Well, it seems that you always seem to get into something right at the end of term. I'll ask you again around that time. Maybe you'll have something exciting to tell me."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll read about it or here the gossip out on the street," Ron replied.

"True enough," Oliver said with a laugh. "Did you know that Harry's scar has recently turned an odd shade of green. Supposedly this is because you have been put under an abnormal amount of stress and the magic in your blood caused it to...Well, I guess you already know it is your scar."

They all laughed and Oliver continued. "Although it seems to have cleared up right this minute. I suppose that's because your stress level has decreased."

"I must disagree with that. I think that this year has been the most stressful year of all, this being NEWT year and all," Hermione said. "If Harry's scar was going to turn green because of stress it would surely happen this week. He has two test and three foot long essays due this week."

"I see that you haven't changed," Oliver said.

"Well, of course not," Ron replied. "You know she's already got a study schedule for the rest of the year. And no, not just for herself. For me and Harry too. And if we don't follow it, there is hell to pay."

"I believe it. Hermione seems to be quite fierce when she wants to be."

"I don't see the harm in starting to prepare now. You'll thank me when its time to take the NEWTS and you are completely prepared and score high. Harry especially needs to do well, so he can get into auror's training."

"Don't remind me," Harry replied. "I'm trying not to think of what Snape will say if I fail. He was completely surprised when he had to accept me into his NEWTS potions class."

"Now that is one professor that I don't miss," Oliver said. "I hated his classes."

"Your not the only one," Ron said.

"I guess I shouldn't complain. I can't say that I did a whole lot of studying back in those days anyway," Oliver said. 

"Must be nice," Ron said giving Hermione a mock dirty look.

"I don't care what you say, now. One day you'll thank me."

"Well, it's not the future that I'm worried about now. Most times I'd rather be out on the quidditch pitch or doing something entertaining, not holed up in the common room doing hours of studying for a test that's not until bloody June."

Hermione shot him a lethal look and Harry said, "Why don't we just talk about something else."

"Good idea, Harry," Oliver said. "So, how's quidditch going this year. Will Gryffindor be winning that cup once again?"

"It's looking pretty good so far. We've been practicing really well considering that our team is pretty young." Harry replied.

"Oh, yeah. Who's on the team this year?" Oliver asked.

"Well, we've got Ron as keeper, Andrew Kirke and Jock Sloper as beaters. They've been with us since my fifth year when the twins and I got kicked off the team..." Harry said before being interrupted by Oliver.

"What? I never heard about that."

"Really?" Ron asked. "It was all that Umbridge woman's fault. She was horrid."

"Didn't she used to work for the ministry?" Oliver asked.

"Yeah, but that year she was our Defense against the Dark Arts Professor," Hermione said.

"Yeah, and she made our lives hell that year. She was always giving Harry detention and she taught out of the book. We didn't have any practical work. It was horrid!" Ron explained.

"She kicked you off the quidditch team? But how'd she do that? I thought that was Professor McGonagall's decision."

The three friends exchanged looks before Harry said, "To make a long story short. That horrible woman got the ministry to pass a whole bunch of stupid 'Educational Decrees' so that she would have control of the school."

"And why didn't I ever hear about that?" Oliver said.

"I don't know. I think they might have put it in the Daily Prophet. I guess the paper didn't make a big deal about it. They revoked all of those decrees after that year, thank Merlin," Hermione said.

"How did you live without quidditch for the whole year?" Oliver asked looking horrified.

"I don't know. That was a busy year. I don't really now what else to say," Harry said quietly. Oliver got the hint that it wasn't a very good subject so he began again, "Anyway, who else did you say was on the team?"

"Oh, yeah. Well Ron's little sister Ginny is one of our chasers as well as Katie Bell's little sister, Laura she's a third year, and Dean Thomas, he's a seventh year too."

"Ah, so another Weasley quidditch player. Your family has quite the quidditch dynasty going."

Ron's ears and cheeks turned slightly red while he said, "Well, that's probably because we all grew up playing quidditch together in the backyard."

They talked for about twenty more minutes before Harry and Ron decided to go to Zonko's. Ron told Oliver that it wasn't that they were going to buy anything from his brother's competition, it was just that they wanted to scope the store out, and see .

They left Hermione and Oliver alone, and they decided to take a walk around the village. It was such a beautiful autumn day.

As they made their way down a quiet residential street, Oliver reached over and took Hermione's hand. Hermione smiled up at him, and said, "It's really good to see you. I'm glad we are getting to spend some time together alone."

"Me too, Hermione. I've missed talking to you. I'm afraid I'm terrible at writing. I never have time, and when I do, I'm so exhausted that all I want to do is go to bed. I wish there was some way we could talk to each other more often."

"This year has been busy for me too. I've been so stressed out with classes and studying, and I'm head girl this year. It's a lot of responsibility."

"I understand completely," Oliver replied. "I wish I could come more often, but I hardly ever get a day off, and most often its not on the weekend, so I can't meet you for your Hogsmeade weekends."

"I know. I guess we'll just have to keep doing what we're doing."

"But you can come visit me over Christmas break. Unless you don't want to." Oliver said sounding unsure.

Hermione looked surprised as she said, "Of course I'd love to come. I'll have to ask my parents of course, but if they let me, I'll come."

"Okay, you'll have to write me and tell me when the best time for you to come is and I'll meet you somewhere or you can floo to my house."

"Okay, I'll let you know as soon as I find out."

"Good, now I better walk you back to the castle. It's starting to get dark out."

Hermione and Oliver continued talking as they walked back to the castle. When they reached the gates, they said their goodbyes.

"I'm glad we got to talk again." Oliver said.

"Me too. I'm so happy that we're going to get to see each other in a couple of months." Hermione replied.

"Write me as soon as you can."

"I will."

Before Oliver left, he gave Hermione a hug and a soft kiss on her forehead. It wasn't the long romantic kiss she was hoping for, but it made her insides flutter all the same. Besides, it was probably best that he didn't kiss her passionately, seems how half of the school was walking back to the castle as well. It would have caused more attention than she was ready to deal with. Hermione sighed as she walked back to the castle to tell her two best friends she would be spending her Christmas break with Oliver.  
  
*******

As Hermione flipped to the next letter she looked back at the picture of Oliver in the paper. It amazed her that after all this time she still missed him. A lot had happened to her since she graduated. She was an important member of the Ministry now. She worked in the International Magical Office of Law and was basically a lawyer for the those in the wizarding world. She had been a member of the Order of the Phoenix during the war against Voldemort, and had participating in the final battle alongside her friends. It seems like she had lived much longer than her 20 years. She had already had a full, exciting life, and was working in a career that challenged her. She had friends and family that loved her, and a cute little house in the country like she had always dreamed of having. She wondered if Oliver's life had changed as much as hers had since that summer.

The next letter was dated a week and a half before she was supposed to meet him for Christmas.  
  
*******

Dear Hermione,

How have you been? I will be seeing you in just a few days, and I am very excited. I have a few surprises planned for you, and I hope that you will enjoy them. I hope you are not exhausting yourself too much these few days before Christmas break. You should start practicing relaxing techniques because I expect you to be completely stress free when you arrive at my house. And don't even think about bringing any of your school books. I will not allow you to do homework in my house. No reading textbooks, no writing essays, and absolutely no studying for your NEWTS! I mean it! Don't even try to sneak in any books. 

Now that we have that settled, I'll tell you about my day. It was one of those horrible days that you just want to forget, which is probably why I am in such an odd mood right now. I came home and I had to laugh at all of the things that went wrong today. Quidditch practice was absolutely horrid. Our seeker showed up with a hangover, and one of the beaters was sporting a black eye. Both of which were to blame on the promotional party we had been required to attend the day before. It goes without saying that everyone was in a bad mood, including our coach, and by the end of practice everyone was more than ready to go home. Unfortunately we had a charity benefit to go to for St. Mungos, so our homecomings had to be postponed for several hours. When I arrived at the benefit I ran into Pendelyn Lane and her brother Grayson. You do remember her, don't you? I'm sure you do. She's pretty hard to forget. Well, Grayson and I don't get along very well, and Pendelyn, well she's Pendelyn. She didn't help me improve my mood, seems how she tried to get some information from me for some juicy story she wants to write about you. By the time I had finished talking with those two, I was more than ready to leave. So I told my coach I was leaving and was on my way out the door when I ran into your friend Viktor. He asked me if I had seen or talked to you lately, but he didn't seem altogether too pleased with the fact that I had been in touch with you. I basically just told him that if he wanted to know how you were doing he should write to you himself. I don't think he liked that answer because he walked off without saying goodbye, so if you get a letter from him and he says something about talking to me, you'll know why. I told you if was a strange night. 

Anyway, I'll see you in a few days. I'll meet you at Platform 9 3/4. See you soon.

Your Friend,

Oliver Wood  
  
*******

Hermione closed the book as she remembered the day she was supposed to get to see Oliver.  
  
*******

The day had started out like any other Christmas day. Hermione had woken up early and eaten breakfast with her parents. After they finished clearing the breakfast dishes, they headed to the living room to open the gifts under the tree. They had spent the few hours before lunch together, talking and catching up. Hermione's parents missed their only child very much while she was away at school, and were always eager to have her home. Hermione was just beginning to set the table when an owl tapped on the kitchen window.

Hermione,

Charlie has disappeared. We need you to come back right away. Wait and we'll send someone for you.

Harry  
  


Hermione knew even from that vague letter that Harry had sent her that there was something seriously wrong. Ron had told her that Charlie was away on some secret mission for the Order of Phoenix, so she knew if he was missing something had gone terribly wrong. Hermione only had to wait five minutes before four members of the Order of Phoenix arrived to take her back to the castle.

Hermione had never been told why she had to come back to Hogwarts. She assumed that they had reason to believe that someone would attempt to kidnap her while she was at home with her muggle parents. She had been forced to stay at the castle the rest of Christmas break, and had only been able to tell Oliver that there had been a death in the family, and that she was not able to visit him.  
  
*******

Hermione flipped a few pages and read the last letter Oliver had ever sent her. It was dated the day of her graduation.  
  
*******

Dear Hermione,

Today is your graduation. I hope that you will enjoy your break from the academic world before you start studying again next fall. I'm sure you will do well when you continue your education at Merlin's Academy of Advanced Magic. I'm sure you know that you are one of the few students from Hogwarts ever accepted into the school, and I, like many others am very proud of you. I know you'll do well and show everyone at Merlin's just how much you belong there. Don't pay attention to the pureblooded students there that tell you that you are not worthy of attending the academy. I have visited Merlin' and I know there will be many that will not welcome you but there will be students that are just like you and are only concerned with their education. I know it sounds odd telling you this, because I have never been known as a serious person, but I just thought that I should warn you. It is rumored that several of the students are deatheaters and I thought that you should know. I know that you will do well in spite of others opposition, so I will try not to be worried.

It's just that I've never known anyone like you. You are truly special. You're not only smart and resourceful, but extremely loyal and kind. I want you to be happy, and I want to know that you will have a good life. You have made a great impression on me, and I know I will never forget you. I know this is starting to sound like a goodbye, and I guess it is, because our future is still so unsure. I don't know if I will ever get to see you again, and I'm not altogether sure that it would be good if we were to meet again. We are two very different people, and this year has shown us just how hard it is to keep in touch with friends who are far away. If I never see you again, I hope that you live your life to the fullest and accomplish all of your dreams.

Good luck in the future, Hermione. I know you'll do well.

Your friend,

Oliver Wood  
  
*******

She hadn't understood at the time, why Oliver's letter was a goodbye, but when she later learned that Oliver had joined the Order of Phoenix and had been sent on a dangerous mission, she realized why he had written all of those things. Hermione had always hoped that they would meet in the headquarters, but the war ended only months after graduation and Oliver had been on his mission the entire time.

When Oliver returned, he never wrote another letter to Hermione, and as she read his final letter, Hermione had tears in her eyes, for the friend that she had hardly known at all.  
  


A/N-Well, that all for this fic. It's a one shot deal that has taken me forever to write. The purpose is to tell about the time Hermione spent between LND and the fic that I will be writing next, where Hermione and Oliver meet again. I hope you liked it, and I hope it served its purpose well. Please leave a review and let me know what you think. 


End file.
